The Rage of an Epidemic
by katierosefun
Summary: [Somewhat AU] It all started off with a street dying out. Then, the number of deaths grew until more than half of Coruscant's population was wiped out, including the Jedi. What can Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano do?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! Who's ready for a whole new level of stress? THIS GIRL! XD **

**I know that I shouldn't really be posting another story, (especially not a MULTI chapter story, *gasp*,) since I have WAY too many stories that I still need to update. :/ For those of you who are reading 'Drown in Love, Not Feel Your Rain' and are STILL waiting for the update, I am so sorry! I've written 512 words since January when I posted that story! *winces* **

**For people who are still waiting for 'Written in the Stars'...I'm so sorry about that, too! *face palms* I swear my brain hates me right now. [Or at least, the CREATIVE part of my brain. -_-] _And_ I have two other stories from different fandoms that I need to update, too. *groans* **

**However, I've had this idea for some time now and I was craving for some new material so...here I am! As the summary says, this story will be AU so expect some differences here and there. Will those differences be for the better or worse? Who knows? That's me to know and you to find out, my dear readers. XD **

**Read on!**

* * *

Chapter One.

Ahsoka Tano was used to being prepared for anything.

Trooper with a broken leg? Easy solution—make a splint or bring him to a med-bot immediately.

Ship crashed? Fine—just gather supplies and check for survivors.

Army of clankers and not enough reinforcements? Camp out and try to make do with what you have.

Casualties and plans riddled with flaws were typical in Ahsoka's life—there was no such concept of an 'everything going to plan', even _if_ she was a Jedi apprentice.

However, Ahsoka did _not_ expect Anakin Skywalker to be dragging her out of their quarters in the middle of the night. It was simply uncalled for.

"What's wrong?" Ahsoka asked, struggling to catch up to her master. "We're probably the only ones awake!"

Anakin did not respond and didn't do so until the two were out of the Temple.

"Have you noticed something off about the people these days?" Anakin asked in a low voice as they sat down on the steps.

Ahsoka resisted the urge to groan. "Really, Master? You dragged me out because of _that_? Why couldn't we just talk about it inside? Or in the morning?"

"Because there _is_ something off!" Anakin muttered. "I don't know how _or_ why, but things have been _wrong_ and no one's bothering to say anything!"

Ahsoka blinked and shook her head. "What do you mean?" She asked tiredly. "Are you sure it's not just you going out again? Because honestly, if you _ever_ bet one of the troopers that you'd be able to drink _that_ much ale, I will _personally_—"

"No!" Anakin snapped. "And that was only once."

The younger girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Alright," she sighed. "Out with it. What's bothering you so much?"

"You know that I check the police records from time to time, right?" Anakin asked.

Ahsoka frowned, puzzled. "I thought you didn't like to do that sort of stuff." She said.

Anakin shook his head. "Forget about that—I still do it because I have to. I wasn't paying much attention to the records until something caught my eye. I relayed it to the Council, but they wouldn't tell me anything about it!"

Ahsoka bit her lip. "What did you see? For all you know, it might have been some sort of mistake."

"It wasn't—Ahsoka, there were records about _deaths. Lots_ of them. Almost an entire _street_ was knocked out with them." Anakin replied.

Ahsoka frowned. "Are you suggesting murder?" She asked.

"No—if it was really a murder, or a bombing, it would have been in the news, but it's _not_. No one can ignore this—how often do you see an entire street dying out?" Anakin whispered.

"Not often," Ahsoka admitted. "So what do you think it is?"

"I don't know." Anakin muttered. "But I think the Council has an idea—they just won't tell us anything."

"Does anyone else know?" Ahsoka asked.

"Only you and me now." Anakin replied halfheartedly.

The Togruta tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Did you see any of the bodies? I mean, it only takes two and two together to figure out what might have happened to those poor people." She said.

Anakin shook his head bitterly. "No. I wanted to, but everything has been sealed off. Ahsoka, they're keeping secrets from us."

Ahsoka pulled her knees to her chest and looked around the skyscrapers of Coruscant. The entire planet was alive with movement and action—it was impossible to think that any real danger would be happening. Of course, there were several crooks here and there, but no planet could be _completely_ rid of criminals.

"What about Master Kenobi? Surely, he can manage to tell us _something_." Ahsoka told her master hopefully.

Anakin's face darkened—possibly more than it already was. He closed his eyes and murmured, "That's just it, Ahsoka. He's not here. He hasn't been here since I confronted the Council."

Ahsoka's eyes widened and she paused, running this idea through her head. "Maybe he's away on a mission…?" She asked quietly.

"He can't be on a mission. We would _know_." Anakin said through gritted teeth.

"It might have been something top-secret. He went on a couple of those trips before, remember?" Ahsoka gently nudged her master. "I'm sure he's not in danger."

Anakin opened his mouth as though to say something but instead, he closed it and closed his eyes.

"Maybe." He murmured. "Maybe you're right. He's probably not in any danger at all."

Ahsoka stared at Anakin, worried. She could already see stress and anxiousness lining his face and his muscles tightening. She was tempted to tell him to calm down, but knowing Anakin, he probably wouldn't listen.

"You might just be overreacting, Master." Ahsoka said slowly.

Her master's reaction was immediate. He whirled around to look at her and shot out, "_How_ am I overreacting?"

Ahsoka shrank a bit but managed a small shrug. "You've seen lots of things, Master. We all have. For all we know, someone might be messing around with you as some sort of prank."

Ahsoka shrugged again. "Maybe some people don't know that." She said gently. "Come on, there's loads of possibilities that this thing could have happened. We can't automatically jump to conclusions."

"Now _you're_ sounding like the master. That's not fair." Anakin murmured halfheartedly.

Ahsoka smiled despite herself and she stood up.

"Do you want to go back inside?" She asked, gesturing towards the doors.

Anakin shook his head. "You can go back in if you want. I'm going to stay here for a bit longer."

The young apprentice's smile faded and instead of walking towards the doors, she sat back down beside her master. "What are you doing?" Anakin asked, bewildered as Ahsoka rested her head against his shoulder.

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" She asked, closing her eyes. "If you think too hard, you'll hurt yourself. _Someone _has to be around to stop you."

Ahsoka vaguely heard a small chuckle coming out of Anakin and she sank into sleep's welcoming arms.

•◊•

When Ahsoka woke up, she was in her shared quarters with Anakin, only he was already awake.

Ahsoka sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What are you doing? I thought you'd still be sleeping at this time of day." She said sluggishly.

Anakin shrugged. "I can get up early when I want to, Snips." He said with a weak grin. "I'm going to be in the Archives if you need me."

Ahsoka startled and placed her hands on her hips. "Why the Archives?" She asked. "You _never_ go there."

"It's just to get some research done, that's all. It's for a little side project I'm doing." Anakin replied in a neutral tone. "I'll be back before you know it."

Ahsoka frowned and he left their quarters. She turned and looked out the window. It was as peaceful as it could be in Coruscant—speeders were flying around, some people were walking up and down the streets, and Ahsoka could spot some younglings running around the courtyard.

With a sigh, Ahsoka stood up and tugged on her boots. She shrugged her cloak on and legged it out of the Temple. She didn't have Anakin or Master Kenobi to talk to her and was in need for someone to speak to.

Ahsoka smiled as she tugged her hood over her head.

She knew just the person in mind.

•◊•

"Ahsoka!" Padmé said delightfully, enveloping the Togruta in a warm hug. "I didn't expect you to visit! Come in!"

Ahsoka smiled gratefully and walked into the senator's apartment. As usual, everything was pretty and sophisticated and had its own touch of home, very much like Padmé herself.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Padmé asked as Ahsoka sat down on the couch.

"Anakin's worried about something." Ahsoka replied. "And I don't like it."

Padmé's features immediately softened and she frowned. "What's wrong? Has something happened to him?" She asked quietly.

Ahsoka shook her head. "I don't really know what's wrong, and I don't _think_ anything's happened to him…but just last night, he was telling me that he's had this strange feeling that something's not exactly what it seems." She said.

"Do you think it's a premonition? Or a warning?" Padmé asked.

"Maybe." Ahsoka replied. "He told me that he found something odd in the police records and he told the Council about it, but nothing's been revealed. Not to mention that the Senate probably doesn't know much of it, either."

Padmé frowned. "That can't be right." She murmured. "What exactly _did_ he find?"

Ahsoka hesitated, reluctant to tell the senator. Though she was a dear friend, Ahsoka didn't wish to stir up any trouble.

"Death records," she found herself saying. "An entire street was taken out and no one knows why."

Padmé's frown deepened. "How can this go unnoticed?" She asked. "Though deaths are common, this _can't_ be looked at as usual."

Ahsoka shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, senator." She replied. "But for now, we're all in the dark. And it's not only that that's been bothering Master Skywalker."

Padmé clasped her hands on top of her lap. "What is it?" She asked.

"He told me that Master Kenobi has been missing." Ahsoka answered. "I don't think that it can be _that_ serious, but he's still anxious about it. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to make of him right now."

Padmé squeezed Ahsoka's hand. "Give him some time, Ahsoka." She said. "But thank you for telling me this."

Ahsoka smiled weakly and murmured, "I just hope that Master Skywalker is alright."

"As do I, Ahsoka. As do I." Padmé said quietly.

•◊•

Ahsoka had hoped that Anakin had returned from his trip to the Archives, but when she reached their quarters, he wasn't there.

With a sigh, the girl plopped herself down on her bed and closed her eyes. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation, to be honest.

Her head was spinning in confusion with the abruptness of it all.

Master Kenobi disappearing.

The entire street dying.

The Council being silent on the matter.

What did it all mean?

"Ugh!" She yelled out loud in frustration. It was so incredibly _stupid_ to her. The entire problem sounded too much like some cheesy show on the HoloNet, and frankly, Ahsoka didn't find that pleasing.

"For Force's sake," she grumbled, face planting on her pillow. "Please show a solution before we all lose our heads."

* * *

**A/N: Because we all know that Ahsoka will lose her head if a solution doesn't come up soon. XD **

**Ahsoka: It's true. *nods* **

**Me: For those of you who are curious, this story is probably taking place around the end of season three...? Maybe. **

**Anakin: I don't like the sound of that...**

**Me: Why? **

**Anakin: WE'RE GOING BACK IN TIME. **

**Me: Haha, wibbly wobbly, timey wim-**

**Ahsoka: *clamps hand over my mouth* NO MORE REFERENCES FROM OTHER SHOWS, PLEASE! **

**Me: *sighs* Fine. Hopefully, I'll be able to update this story in a more consistent schedule than my other stories...*wince***

**Ahsoka: YOU BETTER! Once you start something, you HAVE to finish it! **

**Me: *sighs* Review, anyone? **

**Anakin and Ahsoka: *promptly runs out of the room* **

**Me: ...I feel so loved. **

**Obi-wan: ...? What were they doing? **

**Me: OBI! You're not supposed to be here! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MISSING, REMEMBER?! **

**Obi-wan: I'm right here. In the STORY, I'm missing. **

**Me: *groans* Just work with me! **

**Obi-wan: No. **

**Me: UGH. FINE. YOU SHALL DO THE REVIEW NOTICE AS YOUR PUNISHMENT FOR NOT COOPERATING WITH ME. **

**Obi-wan: ...**

**Me: ...*narrows eyes* **

**Obi-wan: ...**

**Me: *crosses arms* **

**Obi-wan: ...**

**Anakin: Is this staring contest over? **

**Obi-wan and me: ANAKIN! **

**Anakin: Haha, nope! *runs out* **

**Obi-wan: *sighs* Please review, give feedback, no flames and-**

***somewhere*: *CRASH!* **

**Obi-wan and me: ANAKIN!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter was so hard for me to write, no joke. -.- It's one of those chapters where it has a decent start and it slowly spirals down to a really dull, rambling word chase, you know? *groans* This is what I get for trying to do homework while writing this fic. I'm not in my game. XD **

**However, I REALLY wanted to update this story! Is it possible for a writer to really want to update his/her story but at the same time, not have any idea what to write? **

**Well, if it wasn't before, it is now! XD **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Two.

Anakin figured that the Archives were always the best place to start if he wanted to know something. It was supposedly where all answers could be found. Or something like that.

He grumbled listlessly under his breath as he flicked through countless disks of data that he collected. Obi-wan would be proud of him if he saw the former apprentice in the Archives, seeing that he was never really one for studies.

With a groan, Anakin slapped his hand down on the table. He rubbed his eyes and rested his head on his folded arms.

Anakin was tired and sore all over but just the very _thought_ of the present made him strive for just _one more hour_ of research and thinking. Not that it was doing him any good at the moment.

"Master?"

Anakin turned around wearily. "What _now_, Ahsoka? I thought I told you that I _didn't_ want to be disturbed?"

The girl frowned. "You look _exhausted_." She commented worriedly.

"Off topic, Ahsoka. I'm sorry that I'm taking longer than expected, but just hang on for a couple more hours, will you?" Anakin turned back to the glowing screen of the computer and inserted another disk.

He was promptly turned back around by Ahsoka and he let out a yell in protest.

"Ahsoka, I almost _ripped off_ this thing!" Anakin grumbled, gesturing to the fragile disk that was still secured in the computer. "_Watch it_, will you?"

Ahsoka crossed her arms. "It's boring by myself!" She groaned. "Plus, you look like you need a nap. Have I mentioned how tired you look?"

"Yes, and I would rather not hear about it again." Anakin replied dismissively.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ahsoka said, grabbing his shoulders as Anakin moved back to the computer. Anakin easily shrugged his apprentice off but she didn't leave.

"What are you even _looking_ at?" She asked. Anakin felt Ahsoka's eyes scanning the screen and she moaned, "_Master_!"

Anakin sighed as Ahsoka chided, "What did I tell you? It might just be some sort of prank—is it necessary to go through all this stuff just because of that _one street_?"

"I was curious, that's all." Anakin muttered. He began to collect the disks at the table. "Pull that thing out, will you?"

"Oh, so _now_ you want to leave because _I'm _here?" Ahsoka asked haughtily, but doing as he asked. "Are you hiding something from me, is that it?"

"_No_, of course not." Anakin replied. "I just wanted to do this by myself, that's all." He started to walk through the shelves of the Archives, gently putting the disks back in their proper places.

"Where did _that_ come from?" Ahsoka asked, following his lead.

Anakin sighed and turned to face Ahsoka. "Don't take it personally."

He inserted the last of the disks and quickly strode away.

•◊•

Anakin sighed and collapsed onto the Temple steps. He ran a hand through his hear tiredly. His head was still spinning with confusion and anxiousness.

"Have you tried calling your master's comlink, Skywalker?"

Anakin quickly turned around faced a rather weary looking Luminara Unduli.

"Master," he gave a quick bow of the head. "I've tried calling Obi-wan by comlink. There hasn't been any success."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's not like Master Kenobi to disappear." Luminara murmured.

Anakin looked up at her, surprised. "So you admit it—things _have_ been strange lately."

Luminara frowned. "All I said was that it's unusual for your master to suddenly go missing. I have not yet spoken out on the matter of the street, if that was what you were implying." She said.

Anakin sighed, frustrated. Of course.

"However, I _will_ say one thing—I do know that it's somewhat unsettling, Skywalker. You must be careful." Luminara said quietly.

Anakin perked up and stood up quickly. "You _do_ agree!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Luminara pressed her lips together into a thin line. "Perhaps," she murmured. "I _do_ agree that it seems rather strange that something like this would happen so suddenly and the fact that your master disappeared almost immediately after the event doesn't sit well with me."

"Why won't the rest of the Council see it, then?" Anakin asked impatiently. "Surely, we can't be the only ones looking for an answer in the entire Temple."

"The Council _does_ see it, Skywalker." Luminara replied. "However, we must move with caution."

The young Knight groaned. "I only need _one_ Obi-wan, thank you very much."

A small smile twitched at Luminara's lips. "No one can quite replace Master Kenobi." She said decisively.

"You can say _that_ again." Anakin muttered. As he said those words, he felt a sudden pang in his chest. For once, he missed his former master's annoying scolds.

Obi-wan _better_ return.

"Would I could, Skywalker. However, I have other matters to attend at the moment." Luminara gave Anakin a small bow of the head and with graceful steps, walked back inside the Temple.

Anakin sighed and rested himself against one of the pillars. "Move cautiously?" He muttered under his breath, looking at the Coruscanti skyscrapers.

A grin suddenly bloomed on Anakin's face. A plan was already beginning to form in his mind.

•◊•

Anakin thought that Ahsoka was asleep when he slid out of his bed.

Of course, he was wrong.

"Where are you _going_?" Ahsoka asked incredulously from her bed.

Anakin almost jumped a foot into the air at the sound of Ahsoka's voice. Turning around, he forced on a cheerful smile. "_Snips!_" He grinned. "I thought you were sleeping."

"You thought wrong," Ahsoka snorted. "You still didn't answer my question—where do you think you're going?"

Anakin shrugged. "Just taking a quick walk around the Temple. Nothing extreme."

Ahsoka lifted an eye-marking. "It's _me _you're talking to, Master. You never do anything by half-measures." She replied.

Anakin shrugged again, not trusting himself to speak.

With a frown, Ahsoka pushed herself off the bed and crossed her arms. "What's going on?" She asked.

"_Nothing_, Snips. Go back to sleep—I'll be back in a couple minutes," Anakin replied. _Or hours,_ he added silently to himself.

Ahsoka stared at her master and shaking her head, she tugged on her own boots. "Sorry, Master, but you're not exactly good at lying. I'm coming with you."

Anakin sighed. He didn't have any time for this, not to mention that he was beginning to get annoyed that his apprentice seemed to _always_ catch him in his acts.

"Fine." He grumbled. "But if you _ever_ do this again, I will—"

"Whatever, Skyguy." Ahsoka waved off the rest of Anakin's empty threat with her hand. "Now, where are we going? And be _truthful_, please."

"The morgue." Anakin replied, opening the door quietly.

Realization dawned on Ahsoka's face and she pressed her lips together. "You're going to investigate the bodies, aren't you?" She whispered.

"So? Something _has_ to be done, Ahsoka. It might even lead us to where Obi-wan is." Anakin replied.

Ahsoka frowned. "What does _that_ have to do with anything? For all you know, it might just be a coincidence."

"The Force is rarely so lazy, Ahsoka." Anakin muttered. "Those two events are connected—they _have_ to."

Anakin didn't hear a single word out of Ahsoka after that. The two walked silently out of the Temple and together, they set off for the morgue.

•◊•

The morgue was still open when Anakin and Ahsoka reached it. Without so much as a word, Anakin opened the doors and Ahsoka followed after him shortly.

"How may I help you?" A med-bot asked as the two shrugged off their hoods.

"We don't require any assistance." Anakin replied shortly, already walking briskly towards the hallway. "Come on, Snips."

Ahsoka hurried behind Anakin. "I thought you said that everything was sealed off." She hissed.

"It is." Anakin replied, rounding a corner.

Ahsoka blinked. "Then how are we going to look at the bodies without getting caught?" She asked.

"How do you think?" Anakin asked.

It took a second for Ahsoka to catch onto what Anakin was implying. Once she realized his plan, she groaned.

"Master, _no_ mind-tricks, please!" She said indignantly.

"You can cause a distraction if you'd like, Snips." Anakin replied innocently.

Ahsoka's nose wrinkled. "You're impossible." She growled. "Can't you take down the security cameras or something?"

"That'd take too long." Anakin replied promptly. "And I don't think we'd be able to look at the bodies for as long as we'd like to."

Ahsoka bit down on her lip. "_This_ is your plan?" She grumbled.

"_You _wanted to come."

Ahsoka only sighed in response.

•◊•

Anakin thought that the hardest part of the plan was the mind-tricks.

_Wrong_.

The lab was completely and utterly empty, much to Anakin's disappointment. On each and every table of the large room, a body was laid with nothing but a blanket covering them.

Ahsoka frowned, walking around the bodies. "I don't understand." She frowned. "These guys don't _look_ injured or anything."

Anakin circled around one of the victims, his eyes narrowed at the body. His apprentice was right—there weren't any trace of physical contact or violence involved in the body he was looking at.

"Not murder, then?" Ahsoka asked, looking up.

"I don't think so…" Anakin murmured. "If it _was_ murder, this place wouldn't have been closed off in the first place."

Ahsoka joined Anakin's side with a frown. "D'you think it's some sort of sickness? A virus or something?"

Anakin felt a chill run up his spine. "I hope not." He replied. "That's the _last_ thing we need."

Ahsoka shuddered. "Maybe we should go," she murmured, casting an uneasy look on the bodies. "This place is giving me the creeps."

_I couldn't have agreed more,_ Anakin thought but shook his head. "You should go first. I'll be coming after you in a couple minutes."

The younger girl frowned. "What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Just look around some more, that's all." Anakin replied with a shrug. "Maybe I can find something useful."

Ahsoka opened her mouth to reply when the doors opened.

"You're not allowed to be here." A crisp, indignant voice said from the doorway.

Anakin turned around to be met by a rather cross looking man. "Don't you know the rules?" He asked, strolling inside the room. "This room isn't open for the public."

"We were just look—" Ahsoka was abruptly cut off as Anakin stepped forward.

"What killed these people? Do you know?" Anakin asked. "Why isn't anyone saying anything?"

The man waved Anakin's questions away. "I'm sorry, but that information is not yet allowed to be open to the public." He replied coolly. "Now, _if_ you excuse me, I'd like to have my lab back with_out_ any intruders."

"But—"

"Come _on_, Master." Ahsoka grabbed Anakin's arm. "We were just leaving." She nodded at the man and they walked out of the morgue.

"_Why_ did you do that, Ahsoka? He could have given us some answers!" Anakin yelled angrily.

Ahsoka didn't react to Anakin's tone, which annoyed him even more. "We saw the bodies, Master." Was her only reply.

"So?"

Ahsoka exhaled loudly. "That was enough to get us somewhere, don't you see?" She asked. "That man didn't know any more than we did, I'm sure."

"How can you be certain?" Anakin grumbled.

A smug smile suddenly appeared on Ahsoka's face. "If you looked around the lab, you would have noticed that it was completely _empty_." She pointed out.

"So?" Anakin repeated.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "If he knew _anything_ about the deaths, or even had a faint _idea_, he would have taken _notes_. There'd be traces and evidence of research _everywhere._ It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together, Master."

Anakin blinked. "What if he doesn't like to take notes?" He asked.

"Well, then, he's not a very smart scientist, now, is he?" Ahsoka grinned.

* * *

**A/N: Told ya that the chapter was slow and annoying to write. -.-**

**Ahsoka: That's what you get. Karma's not so nice. XD **

**Me: You can say that again. **

**Ahsoka: Oh, and can you PLEASE not make the A/Ns as long as the chapter itself? Seriously-I looked it over last night, and one of the A/Ns were longer than the actual chapter, no joke. **

**Me: O.O Geez. **

**Ahsoka: Yup. **

**Me: Then...you can review? **

**Ahsoka: To keep it short, fine. Please review, give feedback, and don't be a total sleemo...in other words, don't leave a flame. **

**Me: That covered it. XD **

**Ahsoka: Unlike you, I'm quick to get to the point. **

**Me: Bleah. I suppose that's true. See ya'll later! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay, I've decided to update! I'm sorry that my head isn't totally in the game, people-I have four Clone Wars stories to update, (including this one,) not to mention some other stories in other fandoms. :/ **

**However, I would also like to thank you all for this totally cool accomplishment-I've reached 75 followers and favorites today! I'm not sure if that's considered to be a lot on FanFiction, but that doesn't really matter-a year and a half ago, I never thought that I would have people actually giving my dumb stories a read. **

**So thank you! I might post something special, (some crazy fanfic, I'm sure,) about it but in the meantime, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for the support! **

* * *

Chapter Three.

Ahsoka was surprised to see that it was nearly ten in the morning when she woke up, and even more surprised to see that her master was _still_ asleep.

She considered waking Anakin up, but waved the idea away. Her master was undoubtedly tired out, especially after last night. No, her master needed all the rest he could get.

_Besides,_ she couldn't help but to think, _he'll be obsessed with research the minute he wakes up…and who wants that?_

Careful not to make a sound, Ahsoka walked quietly across the room. She quickly grabbed her data pad and flopped back into bed, taking advantage of the peace that was granted to her. Ahsoka spent most of the time writing silly little things and going through any previous messaging conversations between her master and herself in the past months.

Ahsoka tapped her fingers senselessly on the screen of the data pad. It was much too quiet, now that she thought about it all. She frowned and turned to her master, who was still fast asleep. Although Ahsoka would never admit it out loud, she was _worried_ about Anakin. She had a bad feeling that everything—the deaths, Master Kenobi missing,—was going to get to his head.

_If only Master Kenobi _was _here_, she thought wistfully. Where in the galaxy _was_ he, anyways?

Ahsoka cast another look at Anakin, who was still sleeping soundly.

With a small sigh, she tucked away her data pad and slipped on her boots. Curiosity was getting the better of her—she needed to find some information on her own.

•◊•

Master Kenobi's quarters were empty when Ahsoka opened the door. The room was (unsurprisingly) clean and tidy. If anything, it felt as though Master Kenobi just went out to run an errand and would be back in a couple of minutes.

However, the thin layer of dust on the floor stood as a reminder that Master Kenobi was missing.

"Wishful thinking," Ahsoka murmured sadly to herself. She looked around the room, looking for something, _anything_ that might give her a clue to where her friend may have gone.

Ahsoka suddenly eyed the hook on the wall. She walked over to it slowly and reaching up, she felt the hook underneath her hands. A bewildered frown took over her face.

"He took his cloak. He was probably going somewhere," she reasoned out loud. With a small sigh, she let go of the hook and looked round the room once more. The haunting silence was beginning to send chills up Ahsoka's spine.

"I think I've seen enough." She murmured to herself and quickly walked out.

•◊•

When Ahsoka arrived back at her quarters, Anakin was sitting up in bed, staring strangely into nothingness.

"Master?" Ahsoka frowned, striding forward to him. "Master, are you in there?"

Anakin blinked, surprised. "What?" He asked.

Ahsoka let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry, you just looked like you were in a different galaxy or something." She said with a small laugh.

Anakin smiled weakly. "Or something," he agreed and stood up. "Where were you? I got worried when I noticed you were gone."

The Togruta pressed her lips together. "I was in Master Kenobi's quarters." She said quietly. "I was looking for some…clues."

"Did you find any?" Anakin asked hopefully.

Ahsoka shook her head sadly.

Anakin sighed and rubbed his brow. There was a long, solemn silence between the two.

Ahsoka bit her lip and played with her hands. "Maybe we can ask the authorities if they've seen Master Kenobi." She suggested halfheartedly, but she knew as well as her master that it wouldn't be any use. If Master Kenobi really _had_ gone out on purpose, he was probably careful to not be seen or tracked down by others.

_Why_ he didn't want to be tracked by Anakin or Ahsoka was the real question.

"Do you think he's in danger, Master?" Ahsoka asked at last. There wasn't any use in pretending anymore—Ahsoka _wanted_ to believe that Master Kenobi was perfectly safe, but she was beginning to doubt even herself.

Anakin took his time to response, which was unusual for him.

Ahsoka tapped her foot on the ground. "Master?" She asked.

"Yes." Anakin said suddenly.

Ahsoka frowned. "Yes, what?" She asked. "Yes, you're there, or yes, he's—"

"Yes, Obi-wan's in danger." Anakin cut off abruptly. "I _know_ it."

Ahsoka sat down on her bed. "What do you think we should do?" She asked worriedly. "The Council won't listen to us, he's _probably _not gonna show up in _any_ of the security camera footage, not to mention that Coruscant is _humongous_—"

Anakin held up a hand tiredly. "Snips, I don't need your input on that stuff." He said in a low voice.

Ahsoka closed her mouth and crossed her legs. She stared at her master warily, waiting for him to share any more thoughts.

Once she realized that Anakin _probably _wasn't going to speak to her, (or at least, not for some time,) she stood up. "I'm going to walk around." She said halfheartedly. "I need some air."

"Comm me if you run into anything." Anakin replied quietly.

Ahsoka managed to give her master a small smile. "I will." She said and walked out the door.

•◊•

Ahsoka was absolutely fine with walking around Coruscant by herself now.

Well, that wasn't the _complete_ truth—Ahsoka was _okay_ with walking around Coruscant, but she still found herself taking different routes around certain streets because it just _didn't feel safe_. Not to mention that her master wasn't with her.

Ahsoka absent-mindedly rolled her eyes. _Ugh…_she _better_ not repeat that in front of her master. His ego was big enough.

She started down a street and was about to round a corner when a hand grabbed her arm. Ahsoka merely flinched in surprise, for the grip wasn't very strong.

"Who—" Ahsoka's question was quickly broken off with a quick intake of breath.

A frail boy was gripping Ahsoka's arm, his eyes wide with pleading and despair. "Help me." He whispered. His lips were dry and he was filthy all over—it _hurt _to just look at him. His face was shiny with sweat and thin with hunger. Ahsoka watched as he doubled over in a racking, painful cough and she swallowed. The boy's body shook with the fit and once he was finished, he looked back up at the Togruta.

Ahsoka tried to control her racing heart and slowly got down to the boy's eye-level. "What's wrong?" She managed to ask quietly. "Where are your parents?"

"Parents dead." The boy rasped. He pointed at an apartment complex behind him. "Sister died, too."

Ahsoka felt her heart sink with sadness. This boy was all alone.

"I'll get the authorities." Ahsoka began to stand up but the boy dragged her back down to the ground with a sudden burst of strength.

Ahsoka blinked and she turned to the boy. "I need to get some help," she said. "I'm not going to leave you here."

"No." The boy shook his head. "No, no, no."

Ahsoka frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Doesn't work. People die." The boy replied, his eyes slowly sliding out of focus. "It won't work."

Ahsoka stared at the boy, bewildered. "But if you want me to help you, I'll have to get—"

"No, no, no." The boy shook his head again, only this time, it was more of a weak toss than a real shake. "I want you to _kill_ me."

Ahsoka felt a chill go up her spine. The boy couldn't have been more than ten years old…and he was asking her to _kill_ him?

"No." Ahsoka said firmly, standing up again. "I'm going to get someone who can help you and—"

The boy lunged at Ahsoka, his eyes suddenly fierce. "_Please." _He said. "_Please_."

Ahsoka felt as though someone had kicked her in the chest. "How can I kill you? I don't have anything to kill you with, after all." She stated, looking for a way out of this argument.

The boy pointed at Ahsoka's light saber. She felt her heart drop.

"You can stab me with that," he murmured.

Ahsoka bit her lip. "It doesn't work," she lied. "And it's a fake."

"I don't think so." The boy said, his voice becoming softer and weaker. "There was another person with it…I don't think he killed anyone with it, but it looked like it could kill someone."

Ahsoka's heart suddenly sped up. "A man?" She asked hoarsely, not daring to raise her voice.

The boy nodded. "Man. With a beard. Looked tired."

"When did you see him?" Ahsoka breathed.

The boy scrunched up his nose in concentration. "A week ago, maybe?"

Ahsoka smiled. "Thank you."

"Now will you kill me?" The boy asked tiredly.

Ahsoka's smile quickly faded away and she shook her head. "Come with me," she stood up and outstretched her hands for the boy to take.

The boy stared at Ahsoka and he sighed sadly. He didn't move or speak. He simply looked up at Ahsoka.

What happened next was a blur of confusion for Ahsoka. She watched, horrified, as the boy slowly began to cough up blood and bile until he was choking on his own vomit. Ahsoka felt herself moving towards the boy, desperately trying to stand him up and calling for help.

Ahsoka could hear a crowd gathering behind her and suddenly, the boy stopped shaking in Ahsoka's arms. With fearful eyes, the young girl looked down at him.

She knew that he was dead even before she checked his pulse.

•◊•

Ahsoka walked back into the Temple silently. She felt tired and worn down—it wasn't every day she had a child die in her arms, after all.

She rubbed her temples wearily. All she wanted now was to sleep in her bed with her blankets curled up around her and thinking—no, _knowing_—that tomorrow would be a better day.

Or not.

Ahsoka opened the door to the quarters with a weak push and was immediately shoved onto the ground by her master.

"Oof!" She grunted and looked up. "What was that for?"

Anakin winced and quickly pulled the girl from the floor. "Sorry," he muttered. "Something happened."

"Obviously." Ahsoka brushed herself off. "What's with the rush?"

Anakin frowned and narrowed his eyes. "You didn't hear?" He asked, surprised.

"Obviously." Ahsoka repeated. "Why else would I be acting this way?"

"_Force_, Snips. Where were you all this time?" Anakin asked.

"On the streets." Ahsoka replied. "I _told_ you I needed some air."

Anakin shook his head. "Ahsoka, a youngling died."

Ahsoka frowned. "How?" She asked. "I thought no one could get into the Temple unless they were Jedi or—"

"He died of some sort of disease—the healers didn't know what it was." Anakin's voice lowered.

Ahsoka stared at her master, bewildered. "How is that possible? The healers _always_ know what would be the cause of—"

"Exactly." Anakin murmured. "Turns out that the youngling was sick for some time and today he just…gave up, I guess."

"How do you know all this?" Ahsoka asked quietly.

"I asked one of the healers to keep me updated on any news." Anakin replied. "I was one of the first ones to know, I think."

Ahsoka sighed deeply and closed her eyes. She was tired of death—first the little boy on the streets, then the youngling…who knew who was next?

"Ahsoka? Snips?" Anakin nudged the girl gently. "Are you okay?"

Ahsoka opened her eyes and looked up at her master with sad eyes. "No, I'm not okay." She said quietly.

Anakin frowned. "What's wrong?"

Ahsoka leaned against the wall and murmured, "I saw a boy on the streets today…Master, he was sick, too. _And he wanted me to kill him." _

She didn't bother looking up at her master for a reaction, but she could feel Anakin's body tensing up beside her.

"And there was another thing…" She whispered.

"What?" Anakin's voice was hollow.

Ahsoka kept her eyes trained on the ground. "The boy mentioned something about someone who carried a light saber…I think he was talking about Master Kenobi."

Ahsoka heard her master's voice getting caught in his throat. "Are you sure?" He asked.

The Togruta closed her eyes. "I don't know," she said. "But I think so. The boy said that the man was in the neighborhood a _week_ ago."

Anakin let out a sigh. "We have a clue, though." He said quietly. "A small one, but we can work with it."

Ahsoka managed a small smile but the hope was short-lived.

"Skywalker," a breathless woman in healer robes came running down the hall.

"Yes?" Anakin asked, standing up.

"There's been another death—another youngling died." The healer said, her eyes wide.

Anakin and Ahsoka were silent. They merely exchanged stricken expressions before running to the healer's wing.

* * *

**A/N: There we go! Chapter three has been posted, yay! XD **

**Ahsoka: Yaaay...now go back to your other stories that you need to update! **

**Me: But it's almost 10:00! **

**Ahsoka: I DO NOT CARE. YOU. ARE. SO. LAZY. **

**Anakin: *snorts* Says the girl that skipped classes because she wanted to hang out with her friends...**

**Ahsoka: That was ONCE! **

**Anakin: I don't care. You were still skipping classes. **

**Ahsoka: Well, it's not like you don't-**

**Me: Guys, can we not? **

**Ahsoka: *sighs* Fine. **

**Me: Anakin, review. **

**Anakin: Why me? **

**Ahsoka: 'Cause you're a stupid head. **

**Anakin: ...where did that come from? **

**Ahsoka: I don't know. Just do it. **

**Anakin: *sighs* Please review, give feedback, and no flames. **

**Me: Thank you! Bye, everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yes! Inspiration finally struck for this chapter! Sorry for not updating in some time-I was suffering from some a mild writer's block but I forced myself to continue this story! XD (Not that I enjoy writing this story...I truly like writing this...but sometimes, Anakin and Ahsoka refuse to work with me. :/) **

**Anyways, I'll be away for most of this week so I'm sorry if I won't be updating/writing more. I'll be in Arizona from Monday to Saturday, but if I'm lucky, I'll be able to find wifi in the hotel I'll be staying in and maybe I can get at least one more chapter done before this week is over...? (It's spring break over here in New York. So much for partying and writing all night. :/) **

**Thanks for the support-it means a lot! **

* * *

Chapter Four.

"This is awful…" Anakin heard Ahsoka whispering sadly as they circled the small form of the youngling.

The youngling couldn't have been any older than eight years old—a girl with blond hair and a splash of freckles across her nose and evidently well-known, judging by the small crowd of younglings gathered at the doors of the healer's wing.

"She will be taken away very soon," the healer murmured to Ahsoka.

"Understood." Anakin heard his apprentice reply but didn't acknowledge any of them.

He stared down at the body curiously—just like the other bodies at the station, the youngling didn't look _wrong_. There were traces of sweat on her forehead, but that wasn't exactly unusual.

"She was ill." The healer said softly. "As were the other younglings. We didn't think that it was too serious."

"Did they act out of the ordinary?" Ahsoka asked. "Any unusual behavior?"

The healer shook her head fearfully. "No," she replied. "Which makes me nervous. They acted as normal as a patient could be—their deaths were silent."

As she finished saying this, another healer in the same tan robes came running up to the group. He whispered something in the healer's ear and she nodded. "I'm sorry," she bowed her head, "but it appears that the body must be taken away now."

"Thank you for your time," Anakin replied with a halfhearted smile and took a cautious step back as a small group of healers carefully swept the youngling's lifeless body away.

He watched with a blank expression as the body grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

He heard another youngling crying.

•◊•

Within two weeks, more and more younglings died.

More people in the city were dying, too.

Obi-wan still wasn't back.

•◊•

"That was awful," Ahsoka said in a hushed tone as the two reached their quarters. "I don't think I've ever seen that many dead younglings before."

"No one has, I think." Anakin replied solemnly. He made his way across the room and sat down on his bed. The Temple was silent with grief and sadness—it was so clearly written and felt through the movements and faces of the many younglings that lived in the Temple.

"You can feel it, too, right?" Ahsoka asked sadly.

Anakin looked at his Padawan. Her eyes were tired and weighed down from today's events. She rested her head on her pillow and though it was only midday, she brought her blankets over her body. "All the sadness…the confusion…anxiety…" Ahsoka murmured. "People are getting scared, Master."

_You think? _Anakin thought bitterly to himself but didn't dare say it out loud. He didn't want Ahsoka to feel worse than she already was.

"Do you think we'll be able to find an answer?" Ahsoka's voice was small. "The deaths on the streets are increasing, too…"

"I know." Anakin replied in a low voice. "I'm not so sure about the solution, though…"

Ahsoka managed a weak laugh and murmured, "Nice to know that you're looking at the better side of things."

"Sorry." Anakin replied softly.

Ahsoka simply shrugged and rolled over on her side. The two were silent for the rest of the day.

•◊•

_Anakin was hurting everywhere. His head, his body…whenever he opened his eyes, a bright, red, painful flash would overtake his vision. _

_"Master, stay awake!" He heard Ahsoka screaming. His body was being shaken roughly by a pair of hands and he struggled against Ahsoka's grip. _

_"Let me go." He mumbled. _

_"No, no, no, no." Ahsoka was whispering. "No, Master, open your eyes. Look at me…look at me!" _

_Anakin slowly opened his eyes and could see a blurry outline of Ahsoka leaning over him. Her face was zooming in and out of focus. Finally, he managed to focus on her eyes. _

_They were wide and filled with fear. _

_With trembling hands, Anakin grasped onto Ahsoka's forearm. "Don't be scared, Snips." He mumbled. _

_A small, strangled sob came out of Ahsoka. "I'm not." She said in a forced tone. "I won't be." _

_A smile spread across Anakin's lips. "Good." He replied. _

_There was another shaky breath from Ahsoka and she murmured, "Please stay with me, Master. Please." _

_Anakin looked back up at Ahsoka and slowly reached up to touch her face. She squeezed his hand and he sighed. "You're brave, Snips." He whispered. _

_Ahsoka gave him a watery smile and holding tighter to her hand, Anakin closed his eyes and heaved out his last breath. _

•◊•

Anakin awoke with a start. He was sweating all over and his heart was beating much faster than usual.

Sitting up quickly in bed, Anakin put his head in his hands and swallowed, trying to calm himself down.

"Master?"

Anakin turned sharply and he saw Ahsoka sitting up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "You okay?" She asked.

Anakin blinked and after a heartbeat, he replied, "Of course, Snips. I'm fine."

"Oh." Ahsoka yawned and settled back under her covers. "Okay. Well, good night."

Anakin held onto his breath and he shuddered to himself. He slowly lowered himself back on the mattress and closed his eyes.

"Yeah…" He murmured. "'Night, Snips."

•◊•

"Ani!" Padmé's smile was bright and cheerful when she opened the door.

Anakin managed a smile of his own before walking into the apartment. He closed the door behind himself and Padmé automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. "How are you?" She whispered into his ear. "I was worried that you were hurt, or that something bad happened, or—"

"I'm fine, Padmé." Anakin replied, kissing the top of her head gently.

The senator looked up at Anakin with wide eyes and sighed. She lifted a hand and traced Anakin's face slowly. "You look worried," she murmured. "Ani, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Anakin replied, giving one of his wife's hands a squeeze.

Padmé wasn't convinced—of course not.

"I'm not completely blind." She said.

Anakin sighed. "I'm just tired, that's all." He murmured and before his wife could give another retort, he asked, "Can I sleep here tonight?" He wasn't even sure if he _wanted_ to sleep, especially after last night…but he needed to think. Or something.

Padmé's face visibly softened and she sighed. "Of course." She replied. "If you need anything, just tell me."

•◊•

Anakin was still asleep when his comlink went off. He yawned and rolled over on his side.

"Master!" Ahsoka's tinny voice reached Anakin's ears.

Groaning softly, Anakin reached blindly to receive the call and he mumbled, "Yes, Snips?"

There were some sobs from the other end of the call and Anakin sat up immediately, alarmed. "Ahsoka, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I called you _five times_!" He heard Ahsoka yelling furiously. "Where the living Force _are_ you?"

Anakin felt guilt bringing his heart down and he closed his eyes. "I'm in Padmé's apartment." He murmured. "What's wrong?"

There were some loud and shaky sighs from Ahsoka and at last, she managed to say, "Master, they found him."

Anakin's eyes widened. "Who?" He asked, but in his heart, he already knew who it was.

"It's Master Kenobi." Ahsoka whispered. "They…the police found him."

Anakin hurried to his feet and was already opening the door. "Is he alright? Where was he? Where is he now?"

"He's…he's in the healer's wing, Master. You might want to come here as soon as you can," Ahsoka replied quietly.

Anakin didn't need to be told twice. He quickly shut off his comlink and ran outside.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sooorry for escalating things so quickly! It's a bad habit and I don't understand how some writers can be SO PATIENT when it comes to writing certain scenes...**

**Ahsoka: You just don't have any patience. **

**Me: *snorts* You're one to talk. **

**Ahsoka: Hey! At least I'm working on it! **

**Me: I'm working on it, too! And I'M not the one who threw a bunch of things because I was frustrated and tired! **

**Ahsoka: I did it ONCE! And I was having a bad day! **

**Me: So was I! You wouldn't work with me! **

**Ahsoka: UGH! **

**Anakin: Ladies, ladies...you're both pretty. **

**Ahsoka and me: SHUT UP! **

**Obi-wan: It's late, and you two should go get some shut-eye...**

**Me: It's only 10:00! **

**Obi-wan: We have a flight tomorrow. Come on... **

**Me: Ugh...you do the review notice. *climbs the stairs* **

**Obi-wan: *sighs* Please review, give feedback...constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not. **

**Somewhere overhead: UGH! GET OFF MY BED! *loud screaming and pillow-throwing* **

**Anakin and Obi-wan: *exchanging stricken looks* Uh-oh.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I FINALLY GOT SOME INSPIRATION TO WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER! *flails around bedroom and belly-flops on bed in exhaustion* Wait a minute...*looks at last updated date* Am I actually updating within a reasonable range? *laughs* That's a new one!**

**Anyways, I think this might be one of the better chapters of this entire story, (then again, there's only five chapters...) but I had fun writing this. **

**As always, please enjoy! **

* * *

Chapter Five.

Ahsoka was seated next to Master Kenobi in the healer's wing and was staring down at him with wide, sad eyes. She couldn't quite process the fact that it really was Master Kenobi who was in the bed, and not some random, homeless man in the streets of Coruscant.

However, Ahsoka could pick up the master's Force presence just about anywhere. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"Ahsoka!"

Ahsoka turned around to see her master running into the healer's wing, his face filled with worry.

"How is he?" Anakin asked breathlessly and looked down into the bed.

Ahsoka wordlessly pointed down at Master Kenobi and waited for her master to make his own observations.

Master Kenobi's face was thin and haggard, as though he had spent several days without food or water. For all Ahsoka knew, that might have been the case. His skin was covered in cuts and a thin layer of grime. His face had gone completely pale—a sickly shade of white—and his chest made a rattling sound with every breath he took.

Every few minutes, Master Kenobi's body would stiffen, as though he was suddenly being tied down by strong bonds around his body.

Anakin slowly sank into a chair and stared at his former master with tired eyes.

Ahsoka sat down next to him and whispered, "The healers are trying to do everything they can, Master."

Anakin remained quiet.

"He's been through worse. He'll be alright," Ahsoka tried again. She watched her master, unnerved by his sudden silence.

Ahsoka gave a small sigh and turned back to watch Master Kenobi.

For a few moments, the only things that she could hear were the sounds of Master Kenobi's painful breaths and the rustle of the fabric of the healers' robes.

"It can't take him, Ahsoka." Anakin said suddenly.

Ahsoka looked over at her master. "What?" She asked.

"He can't die. Not him." Anakin continued in a hard voice. "We _have_ to find out where the source of all this sickness came from."

Ahsoka bit her lip. "How do you know that it's the same sickness that's killing everyone else?" She whispered. "For all we know, it might be something that can be treated."

Anakin opened his mouth to reply but someone else beat him to it.

"Don't…" A hoarse voice whispered.

Ahsoka and Anakin both froze and they looked down at the bed.

Master Kenobi's eyes were opened, but the familiar warm shine in them had all but disappeared. Ahsoka's heart sank as she looked into the grey-blue irises. They were filled with such agony and despair that it hurt to look at them. She could feel her own hope slowly draining away and she forced herself to look away.

"Master!" Anakin leaned towards the older man.

"Anakin…get _away_." Master Kenobi made a weak attempt at trying to push his former apprentice away from him. "_Don't get involved._"

Anakin shook his head. "Master, you're safe now. Ahsoka and I are going to find out what caused all this and you'll be fine." He said quietly.

"You don't understand…" Master Kenobi whispered painfully.

Ahsoka glanced at her master uneasily. The longer the two stayed by Master Kenobi, the more nervous she felt.

"Don't talk." Anakin replied. "We're going to find a way to stop this, I promise."

Suddenly, Master Kenobi sat up in the bed and he gripped Anakin's hand violently, his eyes suddenly filled with a strange wild, fierce light.

"You _can't._" He rasped. "You'll hurt _everyone_."

Anakin stared at his former master with wide eyes. "Let go of me, Master." He said, his voice quiet.

"You'll _hurt_ everyone. You'll bring us all to our knees." Master Kenobi continued and Ahsoka shook her head.

"You're being irrational, Master," she said calmly and grabbed his hand. "Let go of Anakin, please."

Master Kenobi slowly turned to Ahsoka. "You don't understand." He whispered. "You don't."

Ahsoka quickly yanked her Anakin's wrist away from Master Kenobi and backed away slowly.

"Don't get involved," Master Kenobi's words rang around Ahsoka's head as the two walked out of the healer's wing.

•◊•

"He's just really sick." Ahsoka heard Anakin muttering under his breath once they were safely in their quarters. "He's probably not thinking straight."

Ahsoka cleared her throat and her master looked over to her quickly.

"What?" He asked.

Ahsoka tapped her fingers on the bed. "You're talking out loud," she said. "Just thought you should know, if you meant to say that in your head instead."

"What?" Anakin asked again and he blinked. "Right."

Ahsoka managed to give him a small smile and then straightened herself. "So…what's the plan?" She asked.

Anakin frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on, Master." Ahsoka snorted, crossing her arms. "Knowing you, you're going to do the exact opposite of what Master Kenobi's telling you to do. You're going to head off and try to find a solution, aren't you?"

Anakin sighed and rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "And if I am?"

Ahsoka bit her lip and murmured, "Don't you think you should consider Master Kenobi's words just a bit?"

"He was _sick,_ Ahsoka. He didn't know what he was talking about." Anakin snapped.

"I'm not trying to discourage you, Master." Ahsoka replied steadily. "But I think there's some truth in Master Kenobi's words."

"Since when did you pay attention to what he had to say?" Anakin asked. "You never had an issue with me doing this sort of stuff before."

Ahsoka fell silent. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

"See?" Her master said gruffly. "It's no different than what we face on a normal day, Ahsoka."

"But it _is_ different!" Ahsoka replied. "Master, we're used to having an enemy that we can _see,_ one we can actually _find!_ This…this…_epidemic_ is something that you can't do by yourself."

"I've done this sort of stuff before." Anakin shot back. "Remember?"

"Not by yourself, you didn't."

Ahsoka glared up at her master; seconds ticking by in the intense silence.

Her master breathed in deeply. "Is there something that you're trying to tell me, Snips?" He asked forcefully.

Ahsoka blinked. What _did_ she want to tell Anakin?

She looked out the window again—Coruscant was much quieter. It was hard to believe that this planet used to be so loud and noisy at this time of day.

Ahsoka turned back to her master and set her jaw. "Wait for a couple more days." She said determinedly. "Wait just a bit longer and then we can go."

Anakin startled. "Wait, _we_?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"That's right." Ahsoka replied. "Do you really think I wouldn't go with you? Master Kenobi is _my_ friend, too, you know."

Anakin swallowed. "No, I know that, but…Snips, it might be dangerous."

For the first time in a while, Ahsoka grinned—a real one, this time.

"Then I guess it's not that different from what we're used to, right?" She asked loftily and walked out of the door.

•◊•

"Ahsoka, are you sure that you want to do this?" Padmé asked worriedly when Ahsoka told her the news.

"_Someone_ has to go with Anakin." Ahsoka replied casually.

Padmé bit down on her lip anxiously. "I can come with you two." She said.

Ahsoka sighed. "Senator, thank you for the offer, but I don't want you involved, and I think I can say the same for Master Skywalker."

That was true. Ahsoka knew that Anakin must've thought of her as blind when it came to his affections for Senator Admidala, but the Togruta was able to put two-and-two together.

Or at least, parts of it.

Ahsoka knew that her master probably wasn't _completely _involved with Padmé, but there were several signs that told the apprentice that Anakin was unusually close to the senator.

Not that Ahsoka had told anyone about her thoughts, of course. Sure, her master could be a real _bantha_ sometimes, but she wouldn't ever dare think about selling Anakin out to the Council. He was practically an older brother to her, after all.

"I've told you before, Ahsoka," Padmé replied tiredly, "I'm no stranger to dangerous situations."

"I understand that, Padmé, but I think it'd be for the best." Ahsoka said calmly. "You're safer here in the Senate building, where there's actual medical help and—"

"According to you and Anakin, there _isn't_ any proper medical help because no one knows what this disease is." Padmé cut Ahsoka off shortly. "Let me come with you two."

Ahsoka shook her head. "You'd have to talk with Master Skywalker about that," she said quietly.

Padmé squared her shoulders. "Then I will."

_Good luck with that, _Ahsoka thought as she commed her master.

•◊•

"What? _No!_" Ahsoka winced as her master's voice grew louder and louder in Padmé's apartment.

"Why not?" Padmé asked hotly, her voice holding the same fiery determination. "I can look after myself, Anakin!"

Anakin gritted his teeth. "This is different, Padmé." He said shortly. "It's bad enough that I'm letting Ahsoka come; I can't afford to let _you_ come, too!"

Ahsoka cringed and muttered, "Ouch."

If Anakin heard Ahsoka, he didn't show any sign of it.

"Listen to me," he said, his voice quieter. "I can't _lose you—" _

Padmé cleared her throat loudly and Ahsoka quickly pretended to be interested in her nails. She felt the senator nudging her head towards Ahsoka's direction.

The Togruta said to her nails, "It's okay—you guys are good friends so it's fine. Don't mind me."

"Er…right," Ahsoka heard her master replying somewhat sheepishly.

"Anakin, you _have_ to let me come with you." Padmé said. "I can't stay here—not like this, not knowing what might happen to you…and Ahsoka." She added quickly.

_Thanks, _Ahsoka thought.

"You'll be safer here, Padmé. We'll come back just fine and this'll blow over in a couple days. Okay?" Anakin murmured.

"How do you know that?" Padmé asked.

There was a silence.

Ahsoka bit her lip. That was just it—neither of them knew where it really was safe or not.

"Go somewhere else, then. Get off of Coruscant." Anakin replied slowly. "Tell the others to get off."

"I don't think they'd take me seriously, Anakin." Padmé said sadly. "Everyone's terrified—the others think that they can live it out, but it's not true, is it?"

Ahsoka finally turned around. "You're a senator, Padmé. You're a speaker—you can turn that all around." She said softly. "I'm sure that there are others who are just as determined as you are."

Anakin gave a subtle, grateful nod to Ahsoka before saying, "She's right. We need you here, Padmé. You can work on the Senate getting back on its feet while Ahsoka and I go find something that might lead us to stop all this."

Padmé looked back and forth between Anakin and Ahsoka and sighed. "Ganging up on me, aren't you?" She asked bitterly.

"Don't think of it like that, Padmé," Anakin said quietly. "You're the inside man…well, woman."

Ahsoka nodded. "We'll be sure to stay in touch as well." She added. "So that you can relay the news and keep everyone notified."

Padmé sighed and rubbed her brow. "If it means finally getting people to do something about this," she murmured, "then I'll do it."

Anakin smiled proudly at Padmé and Ahsoka watched as he gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. "Thank you." He replied.

Ahsoka smiled at the pair and said, "I'll be heading back to the Temple. I think you two might want to…um…discuss other issues about this."

Without thinking, Ahsoka gave a quick wink to her master and skipped out of the apartment.

* * *

**A/N: Geez, you guys were soooo worried that I'd kill off Obi! I'm not a TOTAL psychopath! **

**Anakin: *muttering* That's debatable. **

**Me: No one asked for your opinion. :/ **

**Anakin: So? If you haven't noticed, you LIKE killing off your characters...and making them hurt...and angsty...and...*shudders* **

**Me: *smiles evilly* Heh heh heh heh...maybe I'll turn into a Moffat and take over Doctor Who and Sherlock and kill them AAAALLL! **

**Obi-wan: *gingerly taking away soda* I think that's enough for you. **

**Me: What? Nooo! **

**Obi-wan: Don't even think about pulling a Moffat. It's...well...silly. **

**Me: Meh. I think I have a guilty pleasure in making you guys hurt. **

**Ahsoka: *sarcastically* Wow, we feel so loved. **

**Me: *cheerfully* I know, right? Anyways, who wants to do the review notice? **

**Ahsoka: If it means we can run away from you within two minutes, I'll do it. Please review, give feedback and if you want to, constructive criticism. Just no flames. No flames would be good. **

**Me: You said it! **

**Ahsoka: Right...now...goodbye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**YES! I AM BACK WITH ANOTHER UPDATE! *screams in exhaustion and face plants on pillow* Seriously, I feel like it's been FOREVER since I've updated this story...tonight, I'm just going to do some serious updates because doods, I think I have to. (I have two stories which haven't been updated since Christmas and January...and I also have a story that I haven't updated in a month or so...and I still have a whole ton of crazy story ideas running around my head! UGH!) **

**But I love writing stories for you guys all the same. :) **

**Oh, yeah-big announcement-I'VE REACHED 101 FAVES AND 97 FOLLOWERS ON MY USER STATS! *tosses confetti in the air* Doods, can we reach that 100 followers mark? Just three more users? ;) **

**And yes, I will be preparing something special and just FOR YOU AWESOMETASTEAFUL READERS to celebrate this because seriously, this is to ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE! *hugs and kisses* **

* * *

Chapter Six.

"Ahsoka and I will be leaving in a couple of days, Master," Anakin said quietly at Obi-wan's bedside. "We're going to find a way to help you."

Obi-wan shifted slowly to Anakin. His eyes were wide and yet, they were unseeing. Anakin couldn't help but to feel that to Obi-wan, he wasn't there. The master might as well have been staring at the wall.

Anakin stayed, anyways.

He knew that if the roles had been switched, Obi-wan would have done the same.

Anakin lost track of time shortly after, but he got the impression that he had been at Obi-wan's bedside for more than a few hours when Ahsoka walked into the healer's wing.

She, too, was silent and she placed a hand on Anakin's forearm. "Master, maybe you should go take a break." She said quietly. "I can watch Master Kenobi for some time."

Anakin shook his head stubbornly. "I'm staying." He muttered.

"Master, the worst he can do is sit up and begin ranting again—it's not like he's going to do anything wrong." Ahsoka whispered.

"I'm not worried about _that_." Anakin said, taking great interest in his boots.

"_Master_…" Ahsoka started worriedly but Anakin cut her off first.

"_Ahsoka," _he mirrored her tone. "I'll be fine. Just…go look up whatever you can find, okay?"

Ahsoka's hand dropped from Anakin's forearm and he watched as a sad smile took over her face. "Okay," she mumbled and with her head low, she walked out of the healer's wing.

Anakin felt guilt creep over him but roughly shoved it away. He needed his space and Ahsoka had been flocking around him as though he was a child.

Which he wasn't.

Definitely not.

Anakin could take care of himself.

_"__No, no, no, no." Ahsoka was whispering. "No, Master, open your eyes. Look at me…look at me!"_

Anakin shuddered at the memory of the nightmare and quickly shoved it to the back of his mind. He didn't really want to think about that at the moment. Not now, when he was supposed to be looking out for Obi-wan.

"You'll have to give him some time, Skywalker," Anakin heard a healer murmuring to him. "We will take care of him."

Anakin sighed loudly, more so in frustration rather than weariness. He turned around and gave the healer a long, hard glare.

"I'm not leaving, whether you like it or not," he said stiffly. Anakin turned back to Obi-wan, who was beginning to shift in his sleep, only the movements were too small for him to wake up.

"We still cannot identify what possible illness he might be suffering from." The healer said simply. "It would be easier for everyone if you would return to your quarters and not endanger yourself."

"I don't care!" Anakin growled. "No one knows _what_ this is, so how can you be able to help him?"

The healer furrowed her brow. "I can see that you are greatly troubled, but you must remember that—"

"Anakin..."

The healer stopped abruptly and Anakin quickly turned around.

"Master?" He whispered, leaning towards Obi-wan. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes…" Obi-wan murmured, his eyes fluttering open weakly. "I can…"

Anakin sighed, only this time, it was in relief that Obi-wan wasn't acting strangely. No, his master only looked tired, which Anakin never thought that he'd be so grateful for.

"Are you feeling better?" Anakin asked, his voice still soft.

Obi-wan gave a small shrug, clearly unable to say much more without straining himself.

"We're going to find a way to help cure you, Master…to help cure _everyone_." Anakin said, reaching over and giving his master's shoulder a squeeze.

Obi-wan's eyes widened by a fraction of an inch and he shook his head so vigorously that Anakin was fairly sure that it would fall off if he continued to do so.

"You can't." Obi-wan's voice had suddenly lost its weakness, replaced by a sudden, anxious, almost _angry _tone. "You can't get involved."

Anakin felt himself growing uneasy but he didn't withdraw his hand. "Master, I've faced worse. This will help everyone, and you know it."

"Skywalker, I suggest that you leave—" He heard the healer whispering frantically from behind him but Anakin didn't move.

Obi-wan's eyes flashed and his voice lowered into a whisper, though it wasn't any more reassuring to Anakin. "You _will_ _not_ try to find a cure." He said, and Anakin flinched as Obi-wan's eyes began to roll up and down in a wild, disoriented fashion.

"Master?" Anakin whispered, horrified, and grabbed Obi-wan's arms. "Master, what are you—"

"_You—don't—understand—" _Obi-wan was mumbling, though each and every word held a vicious, venomous sting to it. Foam was beginning to collect at his mouth and Anakin felt panic starting to settle in.

Suddenly, he was pushed to the side and the healer stabbed something into Obi-wan's neck.

Obi-wan stopped convulsing, and the foam started to die away.

"A sedative?" Anakin asked shakily, turning to the healer.

The healer gave a rather grim smile and tucked the hypospray back in the pocket of her robes. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, Skywalker." She said wearily. "Whenever one of our patients act like this, we would temporarily knock them out. It won't last long, though. I suggest that you…go now."

Anakin opened his mouth to protest but she held up her hand.

"No," she said firmly. "Your presence seems to aggravate Master Kenobi. It would be wise for you to stay away."

Anakin narrowed his eyes at the healer. "How would you know that?" He asked incredulously. "You can't possibly be old enough to know these sorts of things."

He was right—the healer didn't look nearly as old or as mature as most healers that Anakin had seen walking in the wing.

If anything, this particular person looked only a couple years older than Ahsoka—perhaps eighteen years old, possibly nineteen.

"I'm learning, yes, but I've seen enough to gather my own theories." The healer said, her voice suddenly stiff. "And I've come to notice that the patients become…violent and unpredictable when near their loved ones."

Anakin frowned and then crossed his arms. He narrowed his eyes at the healer and asked, "Don't you have a master?"

The healer's shoulders suddenly sagged and she shrugged halfheartedly as she said, "He happens to be one of the…patients."

Anakin blinked and looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

She shrugged again and she smiled. "He'll probably be one with the Force," she said quietly. "And I'll be happy for him if he does. He's lived a long, tired life and he deserves his peace."

"I won't allow Obi-wan to become one with the Force just yet," Anakin said gruffly. "Not now."

The healer sighed sadly. "Maybe not," she mused. "But take heed in my warning, please. I won't have the patients losing their senses."

Anakin squared his jaw but nodded.

"Thank you." The healer said, her voice returning to its usual weariness. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should probably tend to the sick."

Before she left, Anakin called, "Who are you? Just to know who to come to when these sorts of things happen, you see."

The healer turned around and gave Anakin a small smile. "My name is Rafaella Salvatore," she said. "And you are welcome to ask me for any possible concerns."

With that, Rafaella turned around and continued on her way.

•◊•

Anakin was surprised to see Ahsoka still awake when he returned to their quarters.

She was perched on her bed, her forehead pressed against her knees. Her eyes were closed, but she was awake.

"Why didn't you get any rest?" Anakin asked, sitting down next to his apprentice.

"I was waiting for you. I thought that I should go see Master Kenobi now," Ahsoka replied, her eyes still closed.

Anakin felt guilt lodge into his throat again. Ahsoka couldn't even talk to Obi-wan, and Anakin couldn't help but to feel as though that he should have let Ahsoka stay in the healer's wing when she had the chance.

He couldn't answer.

However, much to his thanks, Ahsoka sighed and unfolded her legs. "Never mind. He's probably asleep, isn't he?" She asked tiredly.

_In a manner of speaking…_Anakin thought but nodded.

"Oh, well." Ahsoka smiled halfheartedly and Anakin felt his guilt take yet _another _stab at his heart.

Anakin quickly stood up and walked to his own bed. He kicked off his boots and rested his head against his pillow. He was unusually cold and couldn't help but to wrap the blankets around him a bit tighter than usual.

Though he was planning to do this unnoticed, Ahsoka lifted an eye marking.

"Are you alright?" She asked with a frown.

"Hm? I'm fine, Snips." Anakin fibbed, wrapping his arms around his torso self-consciously, even with the blankets on.

"Then…Master, you're shaking." Ahsoka said.

"What? No, I'm not." Anakin mumbled but looked down at himself. Sure enough, his body was trembling ever-so-slightly.

"You've been shaking ever since you came in here." Ahsoka said quietly. "Did something happen when you were with Master Kenobi?"

"Of course not, Snips. He's just…the sickness is weakening him, that's all. He'll be fine as soon as we find out how to stop this thing." Anakin murmured.

"Then why are you shivering?" Ahsoka asked. "Master, are you cold?"

"A bit." Anakin finally relented. "But it's fine, Snips. Really."

Ahsoka bit her lip. "You're…not getting sick, are you?" She asked timidly. "Because Master, if you are, then maybe we should report you to one of the healers—"

"No." Anakin shook his head quickly, hoping that Ahsoka's assumption really wasn't correct. Force, he didn't really know himself.

He forced a smile at his apprentice and shook his head again. "Nah, I'm fine, Snips. Sorry for worrying you."

Ahsoka bit her lip and kicked off her blankets. She slowly made her way across the room and placed a hand on Anakin's forehead.

Anakin shrugged her away, but Ahsoka didn't move. For a few tense seconds, the two didn't speak.

The Togruta finally removed her hand and she let out a slow sigh. "I don't think you're sick." Ahsoka said, obviously relieved. "Maybe you really _are_ just cold."

"Exactly. See? Nothing to worry about." Anakin grinned halfheartedly.

Ahsoka nodded but tucked the blankets a bit tighter around Anakin. He couldn't help but to feel a small rush of gratitude for his apprentice—despite the fact that he didn't like to be fussed over, it was nice to know that she _did_ care.

"If you get sick," she started to warn, but Anakin shook his head.

"If I _do_, it'll probably be one of the normal things." Anakin said. "I'm not _that_ easy to get rid of."

"Like Master Kenobi?" Ahsoka asked hopefully as she made her way back to her bed.

Anakin shuddered inwardly at the thought of Obi-wan's wild eyes and his foaming mouth but smiled. "Yeah, Snips…" He murmured, rolling over on his side. "Yeah…like Master Kenobi."

* * *

**A/N: Thankfully, this chapter was a bit longer than the others! YAAAY! I've realized that I write the best and the most when I've finished (most) of my homework on a Friday night, (it takes out some of the stress, :)) and listening to my iPod on shuffle. Speaking of which, I'm listening to 'Hurricane' by Bridget Mendler. I know that she's still in the Disney business, but I think she's pretty talented as a singer. XD **

**Ahsoka: *snorts* So what, now you're a...Mendler fan or something? **

**Me: Not totally. Not yet, anyways. I think she could do better if she stepped away from Disney. ;/ I'll always be a Swiftie, though! XD **

**Anakin: You know, Swifties are like Taylor Swift. They're really nice at first, and then when you say something mean about Taylor, they turn nasty. **

**Me: That is NOT true! We're just...defending her!**

**Ahsoka: Are you going to rant? Because some of the readers might not like Taylor Swift. Just putting it out there. **

**Me: *groans* Yeah, whatever. But for the record, I don't only listen to Taylor Swift. I'm not really into mainstream, but I don't count her as mainstream because I knew her BEFORE she went seriously mainstream. **

**Ahsoka: And on that note, review, leave a comment...constructive criticism is allowed but flames aren't. And don't include Taylor in your review, please. I feel like if anyone says ONE more thing against her, Caroline will blow. **

**Me: *smiles guiltily* #Sorrynotsorry **

**Anakin: *rolls eyes* Bye, everyone, And Caroline, we KNOW that you're not sorry. **

**Me: OOH! THAT REMINDS ME OF A TAYLOR SWIFT SONG! 'CAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO CALL ANYMORE I WON'T PICK UP THE PHONE-**

**Anakin: *clamps hand over my mouth* GOODBYE!**


	7. Chapter 7

**This is where the fun begins! **

**Thank you so much for all the reviews/faves/follows-it means a lot. :) This chapter was much easier for me to write, thanks to you guys. :) **

* * *

Chapter Seven.

_"__Run, Ahsoka." _

_Ahsoka felt tears slowly drip down her face and she shook her head. "No." She whispered. "I'm not going to leave you." _

_She watched as Anakin staggered towards her and for a second, she was scared—terrified. Was he going to attack her? _

_Instead, he simply hung over the doorframe pathetically and lifted his head. Anakin's eyes were dim and his face was a sickly shade of yellow. His cheeks were thin and his robes hung loosely over his body. _

_"__You have to." Anakin said forcefully and slid to the floor. _

_With a cry, Ahsoka ran to him and cradled his head in her lap. "Come on, Master," she whispered. "Come on, one more day. Just one more day and then we can get help, okay?" _

_Anakin coughed painfully into his fist but Ahsoka didn't leave him. She squeezed his arm and felt a couple more tears slide from the corners of her eyes. _

_"__That's it, Master," she whispered. "Stay awake." _

•◊•

Ahsoka was trembling when she woke up. She bit her lip and slowly sat up in her bed.

She looked around the room—the sun was just beginning to rise and the first rays of dawn were filtering through the shaded window.

With a small sigh, Ahsoka turned to look at Anakin

He was still huddled up in his blankets, and though Ahsoka couldn't see any signs of sickness, she couldn't help but to worry.

She closed her eyes and the dream started to flash through her head again.

What was going on? Why was her master so…weak? What were they doing?

With a shake of her head, Ahsoka stood up and walked across the room. She kneeled to the ground and rested her head on Anakin's bed.

Anakin mumbled something incoherent in his sleep and with a shiver, rolled over on his side so that he'd be facing Ahsoka.

"Ha." Ahsoka smiled weakly to herself and stood up. She tucked the blankets a bit tighter around Anakin. She couldn't help but to feel like something of an older sister, even though _he_ was the older one.

Almost as soon as Ahsoka stood up, Anakin's eyes opened.

"Snips…?" He mumbled, his voice hoarse and slurred with sleep. "Wha' wrong?"

"Nothing." Ahsoka replied. "I'm gonna head out, okay?"

Anakin frowned and then rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, Anakin flinched and he buried his head into his pillow with a loud, throaty moan.

"Master?" Ahsoka whispered, walking towards him quickly. She knelt down beside him and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Master, are you alright?"

It took some time for Anakin to respond. He took a deep, shuddery breath and murmured, "I'm fine. It was nothing."

Ahsoka frowned. "Are you sure?" She asked quietly. "Master, look at me."

Anakin lifted his head a fraction of an inch and gripped his head. "Snips…" He mumbled and to Ahsoka's surprise, he buried his head in her shoulder.

"Whoa…Master?" Ahsoka asked. "Are you sure that you're feeling okay?"

Ahsoka felt Anakin's shaking body grow limp and she sighed. She carefully dislodged his head from her shoulder and placed it back on the pillow.

She pulled the blankets back over Anakin and pressed her hand against his forehead.

Strangely enough, she didn't feel anything—he didn't have a fever, so what was Anakin sick with?

"Maybe he's not sick at all." Ahsoka whispered to herself. "Maybe you're just being paranoid."

_Are you sure about that? Does Anakin normally freak out whenever he wakes up? _A small voice asked Ahsoka in the back of her mind. _Do you really think that he's perfectly alright? _

"Shut up, you," Ahsoka muttered and stood up. No, her master couldn't be sick. Not right now.

She turned around and picked up her data pad. She paused, wondering what exactly to do and then punched in a quick message for her master if he was to wake up—

_Went out to see Master Kenobi. Don't go anywhere. If you need anything, juts comm me, please. _

Ahsoka paused and looked over her message. She bit down her lip and her fingers hovered over the screen. Finally, she wrote another sentence—

_Don't do anything stupid. _

Satisfied, Ahsoka signed with her name and walked out of the quarters. The Temple was quiet—quieter than usual, but Ahsoka wasn't very surprised.

The illness had hit Coruscant hard—and according to Padmé, there had been rumors that it was spreading to other planets.

She shuddered to herself. Ahsoka couldn't help but to think that'd she'd be able to breathe freely once the madness was over.

_If it'll ever be over, _a nasty voice said in Ahsoka's mind and she shook her head violently.

She made her way into the healer's wing and was surprised to find very few healers. There were some older healers were taking care of several patients, but besides that, most of the healers looked much too young to take on such a responsibility.

Ahsoka's eyes searched the healer's wing until they landed on Master Kenobi's bed.

With a relieved sigh, she started to walk towards him when a healer suddenly grabbed her arm.

Ahsoka let out a cry of surprise and whirled around. "I need to see a friend," she said.

Almost immediately, it struck Ahsoka odd how young this particular person was. Judging by the robes and posture, Ahsoka could guess that this person was a healer.

"You must not see him." The healer replied quietly. She gestured towards Master Kenobi's bed. "I assume that he is the one whom you are looking for?"

Ahsoka nodded silently.

The healer smiled sadly. "I am sorry, my friend." She said, and she truly sounded apologetic. "But for the sake of both you and the patient, you must not see him."

"Why?" Ahsoka asked. "I haven't seen him all this time and I—"

"You're Skywalker's apprentice, aren't you?" The healer asked suddenly and Ahsoka nodded.

"How did you know?" She asked.

The healer let out a small laugh. "You two are always the ones causing trouble," she said. "And I've seen you with him on many occasions."

She held out her hand. "I'm Rafaella."

"Ahsoka," Ahsoka replied, shaking the hand. "You're…a healer, I guess?"

"That would be correct." Rafaella replied with a nod.

Ahsoka studied Rafaella curiously—there wasn't much to look at, to be honest. If anything, Rafaella looked a bit plain. She was, of course, human, with light brown hair that was tied in a modest bun at the top of her head.

She had bright, green eyes and fair skin with several freckles on her cheeks.

However, Ahsoka could tell why Rafaella would be a healer. She could almost _feel _herself calming down just in her presence.

She blinked and scowled. "Stop that," she said. "I don't need any soothing suggestions."

Rafaella smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry." She said softly. "I thought that you'd need it. Most people do these days."

Ahsoka snorted. "I don't really blame them." She replied truthfully, crossing her arms. She looked at Rafaella again and narrowed her eyes. "How long have you been working here?"

"Only recently," the healer replied quietly. "I had to take over since my master wasn't feeling well."

Ahsoka's heart sank and she lowered her hands. "Oh." She said quietly. "I'm assuming that he's…one of the patients?"

Rafaella pointed at one of the beds, and sure enough, a middle-aged man was sleeping in it. Ahsoka could see sweat beads collecting at the man's forehead and she couldn't help but to notice the sudden sag in Rafaella's shoulders.

Despite herself, Ahsoka felt a stab of pity. It must have been hard, to carry such a burden at the moment.

"I hope he gets better." Ahsoka said lamely. "My master and I are trying to figure out something to stop this illness. We'd be grateful if you'd help."

Rafaella nodded. "I have actually begun to collect some information about the situation already." She replied quietly.

Ahsoka perked up. "Really?" She asked.

Rafaella nodded again. "For one, I realized that it is important for the patients not to see or be near those he or she care about. It's not always…safe." She replied.

Ahsoka frowned. She remembered how her master seemed so fixed on looking after Master Kenobi and couldn't help but to shudder at what might have happened.

"Skywalker was here," Rafaella said, clearly noticing Ahsoka's reaction. "And Master Kenobi woke up. Let's just say that the situation that came after wasn't, ah, very pretty."

"I'll bet." Ahsoka murmured, looking back at Master Kenobi's bed. He, too, was sleeping, but he would jerk his body every few minutes.

"He's not your master, so he must be a close friend of yours." Rafaella mused.

Ahsoka nodded. "He is." She said and a small grin twitched her lips. "He's usually the one who drags Master Skywalker and me out of trouble."

Rafaella let out a small, light laugh. "Well, then, we must try extra hard to find a cure, now, won't we?"

Ahsoka smirked despite herself. "I suppose so." She replied and looked back at Master Kenobi. She smiled to herself.

_Hear that, Master Kenobi? Anakin and I are gonna help you. We're all gonna try to help you._

•◊•

Ahsoka figured that she would have to visit Padmé—she wasn't allowed to visit Master Kenobi all this time, and she couldn't help but to feel guilty for not alerting her.

Once she reached the senator's door, she called, "Senator Amidala? Are you in there?"

There was some silence in the room and then Ahsoka heard some hurried shuffling and a rather loud _bang_.

Ahsoka startled and knocked on the door. "Senator? Is everything alright in there?" She asked.

"Everything's fine, Ahsoka!" She heard Padmé replying. "Just a moment!"

Ahsoka frowned but did as she was told. She crossed her arms and within a minute, the door opened with a hiss of air.

Padmé was brushing back a stray piece of hair and she gave Ahsoka a wide smile. "Come in!" She said cheerfully.

Ahsoka nodded and walked into the apartment. "What was all the noise about?" She asked.

Padmé waved her hand carelessly. "I was just surprised to have any visitors." She replied. "The room was a mess so I wanted to clean it up."

Ahsoka raised an eye marking. "Right." She murmured and sat down on the couch. "I saw Master Kenobi today."

Padmé smiled. "Really? How is he?" She asked. "Where was he this entire time?"

Ahsoka winced. "Well…let me rephrase that. I didn't really _talk _to him, but I just…watched him from a distance."

The senator frowned. "Why?" She asked. "Surely, the healers would allow you to see him, right? You're his friend, after all."

Ahsoka shook her head and tapped her fingers on the coffee table. "According to one of the healers, the patients of those who are sick with the unknown illness," Padmé gasped and Ahsoka winced again.

"I forgot to mention that." She muttered sheepishly. "But apparently, if one of the patients sees someone close to them, they…glitch out. Or become unpredictable and wild. At least, that's what I've been told."

Padmé's shoulders rounded over and she sighed. "Do you think he's alright, though?" She asked quietly.

Ahsoka nodded. "I think he'll be okay," she replied. "As long as none of us go near him. He was sleeping when I found him."

Padmé sighed quietly in response and for the next couple minutes, the two were silent. Ahsoka couldn't help but to examine the senator carefully. Her thoughts were slowly wandering over to her master and the senator's relationship—she wasn't _totally_ blind, after all.

Ahsoka had thought that the two were just good friends, but now, she was almost positive that they were much more. She felt guilty about thinking of such a thing about Anakin and Padmé but quickly shrugged the feeling away.

To be honest, Ahsoka wouldn't be very surprised if her master told her that he had broken the Code. In her heart, she always felt as though Anakin would be the first one to do so.

But she couldn't bring herself to ask either Padmé or Anakin about it. It would be truly embarrassing if they _weren't _at all having a romantic relationship, and to be honest, Ahsoka liked carrying a secret for her friends.

She was about to stand up and bid Padmé a good day when she felt a sudden movement.

Ahsoka froze. She was almost _sure_ that she had heard and felt something moving in the Force.

"What is it?" Padmé asked, taking notice of Ahsoka's rigid posture.

Ahsoka held a finger to her lips and slowly crept out of the sitting room. She could feel the source of the movement closer and closer…Ahsoka found herself walking into Padmé's bedroom and she closed her eyes.

_It was in the closet. _

Ahsoka slowly turned around and with a pounding heart, Ahsoka slid open the closet door with wide eyes and then—

"Master?" Ahsoka yelped. "What are you _doing here?_"

Sure enough, Anakin was standing against the wall of the closet, his face pale and his eyes unusually bright, but a small smirk was playing on his lips.

"I was hiding from you." Anakin said cheerfully, still not moving from the wall. "I was wondering how long it'd take for you to find me."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and opened the door a bit wider. "Come on, get out." She said.

Anakin slowly parted from the wall but as soon as he took a step towards the door, his legs gave out and he crumpled into a ball on the floor.

Ahsoka's eyes widened and she crouched down next to him. "Master?" She asked loudly, shaking his shoulders. "Master, are you alright?"

She felt fear slowly enter her heart—did this have something to do with her nightmare? It can't—not now!

"Master!" Ahsoka yelled and Padmé came running into the room.

"What's going on?" She asked worriedly and her eyes landed on Anakin and Ahsoka. Her hands flew up to her mouth and she quickly sat next to Anakin.

"Ani…wake up." Padmé murmured and Ahsoka froze. She slowly looked up at the senator. Padmé's voice was quiet and soft, and her eyes were filled with an emotion that the Togruta had only seen when Padmé and Anakin had thought that they were alone.

Love.

Pure love.

Ahsoka blinked and then quickly looked back down. She placed a hand on Anakin's forehead and felt for some sort of warmth—anything.

Instead, she shuddered.

It was cold, as though Anakin had been standing next to the cooling system for much too long.

Ahsoka frowned and watched as sweat slowly dribbled from Anakin's forehead and she propped him up. "I'm going to get him to the healer's wing." She told Padmé.

Padmé nodded and stood up. "Will he be alright?" She asked fearfully.

Before Ahsoka could reply, Anakin's eyes flickered open weakly and he looked round the room. "Wha' going on?" He mumbled, rubbing his brow.

Ahsoka blinked, confused and Padmé let out a relieved sigh. "Ani, thank goodness!" She cried joyfully.

Anakin grinned but it quickly faded once he realized where they were. "What happened?"

Ahsoka pressed her lips tightly together. "You blacked out. Or something." She muttered, watching Padmé warily. The senator was still wearing a look of such joy that made Ahsoka tired. Under different circumstances, the Togruta would have been just as overjoyed as Padmé, but at the moment, she was just too confused and weary to express any proper emotions.

"I'm fine now," Anakin replied with a weak grin as he stood up. "Maybe I was just tired."

"Maybe." Ahsoka murmured, but in truth, she wasn't very convinced. She met eyes with her master and in that moment, they both understood that they would have to talk later.

As Anakin walked out of Padmé's apartment, Ahsoka turned around to speak to the senator. "Why didn't you tell me that Anakin was in the apartment?" She asked.

Padmé's smile faded and she bit her lip. "We thought that you'd be…surprised."

"Not really." Ahsoka replied truthfully. "I don't have anything against you being friends with Anakin, I was just annoyed that he didn't bother actually reading or paying attention to the note that I left him. I told him to go anywhere."

Padmé nodded slowly and gave her a gentle smile. "You really care about him, don't you?" She asked quietly.

"Of course. He's my master." Ahsoka replied, uncertain at what she was properly getting at.

"Not in _that _way." Padmé said. "I just always thought that…you're rather close to him."

Ahsoka felt her lekku stripes darken and she cleared her throat. "If you're thinking that he and I have a romantic relationship," she began, ready to make an argument, but Padmé shook her head quickly.

"No, of course not. I'm aware of the Jedi Code," she said with a laugh. Padmé looked back at Ahsoka, her serious expression returning. "I'm just glad that you're looking over him."

Ahsoka smiled weakly. "Someone's got to watch his back," she said with a halfhearted laugh and with that said, she turned around on her heel and walked away from the apartment's door.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, Rafaella will be appearing frequently in this story. I'm not going to make an entire series off of her like I did with my other original character, Cadena, but I'm going to have some fun experimenting on her character. XD And no, this story won't evolve into an Anisoka. As much as I adore the ship, (DON'T JUDGE ME!) I won't pull a fast one on you guys. XD **

**Ahsoka: What's Anisoka? I've heard that term so many times! **

**Me: ...you don't really want to know. **

**Anakin: What's Obikin? **

**Me: Umumumumumumum-**

**Ahsoka: What's Luxoka? **

**Anakin: What's Rexoka? **

**Me: SHUT UP! **

**Anakin: What did I say? **

**Me: I just...GAH! **

**Ahsoka: *reading fanfiction* Um...Caroline, what did Anakin and Padmé do-WHOA...**

**Me: AHSOKA! *rips away laptop* Umumumumumum...forget about that! Review-give-feedback-no-flames-bye! *runs out of the room* **

**Ahsoka: *exchanges confused looks with Anakin* What's her problem? **

**Anakin: No idea. But what did you see about Padmé and me? **

**Ahsoka: *lekku stripes darken* Um...ah...*whispers in Anakin's ear* **

**Anakin: *freezes* Um...*uses Jedi mind trick*_ You will now forget about that story. _**

**Ahsoka: _I will now forget about that story. _*blinks* Oh, hi, Master! **

**Anakin: Phew! **


End file.
